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Tackle + Bait Slots
Trolling: dodger + pink squid, corn-tipped.
Why Fish Here
Porcupine is one of a short list of Utah waters where kokanee run in numbers, and the daily limit reflects it: up to 12 trout and kokanee combined, though no more than 4 of those may be rainbow, cutthroat or brown trout. The salmon hold deep through summer, which is why boats troll here and bank anglers mostly do not. The kokanee closure is statewide and specific: you may not possess kokanee at any Utah waterbody from September 10 through November 30, which brackets the whole spawning run.
How To Fish It
Best rigs: Troll dodger + pink squid 20-45 ft
Bait and lures: Squids + corn
Best time: Crack of dawn. Season: June-August (kokes)
Local tip: Late-Sept spawning kokanee turn the inlet crimson - bring the kids to WATCH (closed to fishing then).
Species Playbook
Kokanee Salmon
Rig: Troll pink/orange squid behind a dodger, 25-60 ft down
Bait: Pink squids tipped with white shoepeg corn
When: Crack of dawn - bite dies mid-morning
CLOSED to harvest during fall spawn (check dates). Turn bright red in September.
Brown Trout
Rig: Fly: sow bug/zebra midge under indicator; Spin: single-hook Rapala or spinner
Bait: Flies (sow bugs, streamers), Rapalas, worms after rain
When: Dawn, dusk, and overcast days; fall (spawn season) fires them up
Wary and smart. Downsize line to 4 lb fluoro on clear days.
Getting There + Nearby
Nearby adventures: Blacksmith Fork River (Fishing, 7 mi) · Hyrum Reservoir (Fishing, 9 mi) · Hyrum State Park (State Park, 10 mi) · Botts Campground (Mantua) (Camping, 10 mi)
Quick Answers
- What fish are in Porcupine Reservoir?
- Kokanee Salmon, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout.
- What is the best bait at Porcupine Reservoir?
- Squids + corn
- When is the best time to fish Porcupine Reservoir?
- Crack of dawn. Season: June-August (kokes).
- Why fish Porcupine Reservoir?
- Porcupine is a kokanee reservoir first, and everything about a trip there is built around getting a dodger and squid down 20 to 45 feet at first light. Browns and cutthroat share the water if the salmon will not play. It sits in the hills above Cache Valley, small enough that a modest boat is plenty.